Passport holders of Eswatini, Nauru and Lesotho are required to apply for a visa before travelling to Ireland, with the measure entering into force on Monday, March 10.
The Irish authorities have introduced a transit visa for these nationals, if they intend to travel to another country through Ireland, Schengen.News reports.
Nationals of these countries who made travel plans before March 10, 2025 and can provide evidence of a valid booking and payment for the trip, may be accommodated for emergency travel where the scheduled travel is on or before March 31, 2025.
These Categories Are Eligible for Accommodation for Emergency Travel
As mentioned above, the Department of Justice has clarified that nationals of Eswatini, Nauru and Lesotho who had made plans to travel earlier than March 10, were eligible for emergency travel accommodation for certain situations.
This applies to the following situations:
- Critical medical cases that include family members, with evidence from competent authorities being required.
- Visiting for a family event such as a birth, wedding or funeral – for each sufficient evidence is needed.
- Getting employed and holding an Employment Permit for Ireland
- Travelling for business.
New Measures Introduced As Part of Efforts to Facilitate Legitimate Travel
Jim O’Callaghan, the Irish Minister pointed out that these measures aim at facilitating legitimate travel and not limit nationals of Nauru, Eswatini and Lesotho.
I want to be clear that introducing these requirements does not prevent nationals of Eswatini, Lesotho and Nauru coming to Ireland to visit, to work, to study or to join family members. Applying for a visa is a screening mechanism to ensure we are facilitating legitimate travel.
Moreover, the Department of Justice points out that Irish visa requirements are under ongoing review, aiming at ensuring that effective immigration controls will remain effective but also to facilitate travel for those who want to enter Ireland for the right reasons.
According to data published by the Department of Justice, third country nationals were granted 392,217 Ireland short-stay visas in 2024. That is a record number of visas granted between 2017 and 2024.
This is a carefully considered decision which will keep Ireland in step with neighbouring jurisdictions. A wide range of factors are taken into account when introducing visa requirements to ensure we can facilitate travel with processes that are robust, effective, and fair.
The data reveals that the countries of origin for nationals who obtained Ireland visas the most are India and China, receiving 39,942 and 12,267 visas, respectively, while Türkiye ranks third with 4,795 visas granted.
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